NEVER has Rashid Sidek missed Lee Chong Wei as much as he did at the Emirates Arena on Friday.
The 1996 Atlanta Olympics bronze medallist could only watch in disbelief as first Liew Daren, and then Chong Wei Feng bit the dust in the Commonwealth Games men's singles quarter-finals.
This was not how it was supposed to be as Wei Feng and Daren were meant to take advantage of Chong Wei’s injury-forced absence and step out of his shadow.
The platform for them was the simplest challenge there could be in badminton for the Commonwealth Games field is not exactly world class but both Malaysians failed to rise to the challenge, leaving two-time champion Rashid a disappointed man.
“They just didn’t have the mental strength. This was their chance to impress but Wei Feng and Daren’s problem is that when under pressure, they simply collapse,” said Rashid at the Emirates Arena yesterday.
“I thought that Chong Wei’s absence would be a blessing in disguise and I was counting on either one to win the gold. This would have, I felt, kickstarted either one’s career but again, they have let themselves down.”
Both lost to Indian opponents, with Daren losing 21-13, 21-14 to P. Kashyap and top seed Wei Feng conceding to R.V. Gurusaidutt 21-15, 8-21, 21-17.
For Malaysia, Wei Feng and Daren’s defeats meant the stranglehold on the men’s singles title, which started in 1990, came to an end.
More embarrassingly for a country that considers itself a superpower in badminton, there will be no Malaysian representative on the podium for today’s men’s singles medal presentation.
How Rashid wishes that Chong Wei didn’t get injured.